The FreshView

Light can only be seen in darkness. Brother, it is dark.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Today's news is an old story

In any given article about Israel written for the masses you can be assured the presence of inconsistencies and yellow journalism. I picked one that caught my eye. It is not al-jazeers, the guardian or the New York Times. It is ABC based on an AP report. Remember, this is not an editorial, this is plain vanilla news. It always seems that the media are consistent with the goal to minimize Palestinian terror and Israeli dissension, exaggerate the love of the failed peace plans and fabricate the viciousness of the Israeli “settler.” You can do this to any article.

Feb. 14, 2005 - "The Israeli military delivered the bodies of 15 militants to the Palestinians for burial Monday, a handover celebrated in Gaza as the first real achievement of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is trying to prevent fickle militants from straying from a fragile truce. "

Examine the use of the word militant. It is an old grievance but it’s still noteworthy. Why not use the word Palestinian? Militant denotes an air of an anomaly. It implies that while most Palestinians thirst for peace there are still some rogues. It doesn’t stop there, these anomalies are not murderers mind you; they are militants. Why not call them rebels or insurgents? Militant implies that they are combating an imperfect enemy, not a pregnant woman with four children on the way home. This is further compounded by the adjective fickle which implies that there is nothing inherently decadent with the anomaly group, they are just fickle.

"The planned pullout has created a politically charged atmosphere in Israel, and prominent Israeli politicians on Monday called for detaining Jewish extremists without trial or charges in response to a wave of threats against government ministers who support the withdrawal. "

Let’s get this straight. Israelis who disagree with being displaced are extremists whose actions warrant being detained without due process. I am also to infer that it is really just a small minority of people who oppose the coveted and often revised peace map plan road etc. (which ignores the recent 130,000 plus attended demonstration.) This is in contrast to the Arabs who in unison are yearning for a peaceful coexistence.

"Tens of thousands of Gazans poured into the streets as 15 ambulances carrying the bodies of the militants rolled into Gaza City's main square, escorted by Palestinian security. Each ambulance had the name of the dead man inside on the windshield.

Dozens of armed men stood in the square, raising the banners of their factions and saluting the bodies. The Palestinian police band played the national anthem in the background. "

If it is indeed so that the majority of Palestinians are yearning for a peaceful coexistence with Israel and that militants are but an anomaly why exactly were there “Tens of thousands of Gazans” pouring into the streets carrying the bodies of the militants? These militants are an anomaly to the mainstream Palestinian – why the precession of raised banners and the national anthem? These militants were not in the midst of intense battle, they were most likely hunting for some weak unarmed victims as has been the case repeatedly. Read on…..

"The militants were killed in attacks on Israeli army outposts in Gaza and other Israeli targets in the past two years. It was not clear why Israel had kept their remains. "

The militants were killed because…….? Look how they threw in the words army outpost and other Israeli targets. Why not say killed in attacks on schools, playgrounds, shopping malls and other targets? They need to mitigate the terror, after all these aren’t insurgents or terrorists these are militants. Attacking army outposts is a process of war and struggle not aggression and therefore mitigates any ugly realties of death.

"The bodies were released a day after Israel's Cabinet approved the names of 500 Palestinian prisoners to be freed, and security commanders discussed the handover of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian control. All three measures are part of a package of overtures agreed on last week at a summit where Sharon and Abbas declared a cessation of 4 1/2 years of hostilities. "

Four and a half years of hostilities? Hostilities? New York and New Jersey have hostilities over the Statue of liberty. Countless attacks and over 1 thousand Israelis murdered in a one way war is not hostilities.

"Some settlers and other members of Israel's extreme right have threatened to use violence to try to block the withdrawal threats that aren't taken lightly after an extremist opponent of peace concessions assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1995.

Some lawmakers who support the pullout have recently received abusive mail from extremists. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz received a meat hook in the mail; a letter to a female member of Sharon's Likud party threatened "gang rape." Sharon told the party meeting that one leaflet in circulation threatened to dig up his late wife, Lily. The family has hired guards for the grave, he said. "

Where to begin? Some settlers and other members of Israel’s extreme right:

A) I thought liberals were not allowed to stereotype. Why do they assume that settlers are part of Israel’s extreme right?

B ) What is Israel’s extreme right? Who are they? What do they do? What have they done? Where does their terror stand relative to the Arabs?

The one act of violence the writer can think of is not the one committed against Mrs. Hatuel or the Bus to Emmanuel he chooses one perpetrated by a deranged man. Why didn’t the writer use the one committed by an Israeli against the family of Arabs or the “settlers” that attacked a bus full of children and pregnant mothers? Any guesses? I’ll give you a hint. There were none.

"Opposition leader Joseph Lapid said Israel has "reached the point where the security establishment is more afraid of Jews than of Palestinian terrorists."

This is just gorgeous. They are more afraid of the Jews than Palestinians. Maybe this is the gemorreh that says expressing compassion to the cruel will result in the cruelty to the compassionate.

Tuesday, February 08, 2005

How much is Jewish Blood Worth?

OK Israeli Jewish blood is almost worthless. After all, its all part of the pieces process. Good its not anti Semitism its anti Zionism. I am sold. It's the other side of the world. Fine.

Update: A Jew, 48-year-old father of six, was attacked as he waited for a tow truck with his son was killed in Toronto 2 years ago. The murderer pleaded guilty after flying into a fit of rage against a group of Jewish teenagers.

Will this be a big deal? Should it be a big deal?

I would bet my next 2 paychecks that it will not be a big deal. A Jew gets stabbed to death because he was a Jew. Mind you, not the only case in the last few years (Los Angeles - twice and Antwerp are examples I can think of off hand). It also happened not too far away. I hate to ask this: if he were of any other ethnicity and was killed as a result in Toronto wouldn't it be a big deal. Shouldn't it be a big deal. I hope I'm wrong.

The Blame Game - The Anti Drug

He has yet to redeem himself from his Baruch Goldstein fiasco; however he makes some good points in his latest blog. When you're right you're right - when you're not I'll get you.

I took some excerpts from:CLICK HERE …..It is said that our schools bear much of the responsibility for what goes wrong among our youth. There is room for improvement, but schools are not to blame. Nor are shuls to blame, this despite the offensive and foolish practice known as kiddush clubs. We need to get away from the great American blame game, the indulgence in pop psychology by the media and charlatans. There are parents who do everything right and whose children do not turn out right. There are schools that do nearly everything right and yet some students disappoint greatly. There are mysteries to life - to every aspect of human behavior - and not everything that goes wrong has a ready explanation. ….. …..Self-esteem or its absence is the root cause of much - but certainly not all - that is untoward in the young. When a problem child is shipped off, the process is likely to further erode whatever tenuous fibers of esteem are still operational. To the greatest extent possible, a problem child should be nurtured by and among those who deeply care because they are family and have demonstrated their love. Self-esteem is the great unappreciated issue in education. We are increasingly caught up in a complicated web of standards, tests and marks. Students can overcome what they lose when they receive an inferior education. Few can overcome assaults against their self-esteem. With their dual curriculum, our schools have in an important sense two entry points to challenge how students feel about themselves. There is, I am certain, a correlation among Orthodox teens between low self-esteem and wrongful behavior. Our school officials contribute to the difficulties facing our youth by being too hasty in ridding themselves of students who don't meet standards. When a student's behavior adversely affects other students, there usually are grounds for expulsion. Not doing well academically is not an adequate ground, a position that I have expressed for many years, but few school officials agree with me. It is intolerable that one person, usually the principal, has the sole say on who stays and who does not. When the prospect of expulsion arises, there must be a process involving several persons who are competent to decide. I cannot understand why the Orthodox community tolerates the sinful practice of allowing one person to make so vital a decision regarding the life of a youngster. There is no halachic justification for the practice. Expulsion and other severe punishment obviously attacks self-esteem. The sins of those who act hastily toward our young directly beget the sins committed by those who engage in wrongful behavior.

Wednesday, February 02, 2005

Better late than Never? Never Again

I know it’s a bit late. But that’s my point – 60 years- come on guys. The UN has declared a day to recognize Auschwitz. I have such ambiguity as well as suspicion towards all this. I am real confused with this one. What gives? You gotta wonder. What exactly inspired the moral compass of the world to dedicate effort towards commemorating the Holocaust? What exactly was the objective in the commemoration? Let’s study the options:

Was it:
a) To educate the world about the horrors that man is capable of committing and to further push the need for humanitariianism
b) To educate the world about anti –Semitism
c) To acknowledge and give the few remaining survivors a minutia of their due respect
d) To provide the UN as well as the rest of the world with some more leverage in railroading Israel into the ruse referred to as Palestinian Statehood.

To be frank, the world doesn’t give a hoot about a) and b). The UN certainly has reservations of halting atrocities. If the UN indiscriminately pursues global injustices why are they oblivious to the African continent and the 22 Arab states?

The UN’s general response to choice b) has proven itself to be despicable. Aren't these the same folks that screamed themselves into a frenzy when it came to the Jenin hoax but remain pindrop quiet when a Jewish family gets decimated while the perpetrator's family gets rewarded? Furthermore, by the Arab representatives ignoring the event without any rebuke, they not only proved that anti Zionism is anti Judaism they also suggested who has been manipulating the UN.

It’s ironic that there were 2 things to have been created from the ashes of Auschwitz the UN and the state of Israel. Ironic – because the latter seems to be trying to turn the former into ashes. Since its inception, Israel has been the recipient of unrelenting terror from its Arab neighbors and global indifference. Not only has the UN shirked its responsibilities, they have turned into the very instrument to incessantly censure Israel at every turn.

Pushing for the creation of Palestine is not quite consistent with humanitarianism morality and justice. The palestinians (Of course I refer not to pre - Israel days when even Jews were Palestinians) cannot lay claim for being an upstanding group. Their track record with terrorism has been a bit dismal. This group not only aligns with terrorism but they even murder those who collaborate with anti terrorism.

To be even more frank, most Jews don’t even care about anti-Semitism. Barring a handful of events and columnists the Jewish response to anti-Semitism in the form of anti Israeli terrorism is far from deafening. Furthermore, anti-Semitism around the world has been thriving. Putin himself had to excuse his country for the recent anti –Semitic surge during his speech at the Auschwitz. The US and England is also experiencing recent escalations in anti Semitism. These events affect every Jew. Forget about speeches, rallies and letters. Forget about brotherly responsibilities, what about your own neck?

The drive for the Palestinian terror state is greatly being fueled by not only anti –Semites who are repelled by the thought that a Jew has anything more than a tattoo branded on his arm, but by Jews. Not only the well acclimated academic global Jew who pontificates for the New York Times while sitting comfortably from his American house away from arabs and other Jews. The drive for the 22nd arab state of terror is being fueled by the Jew who cries from his unsafe Israeli home. Is 60 years too long of a time for you to forget? Do you really think it can’t happen again? Do you not realize that a significant portion of the world equates you with Nazism?

What suddenly woke the UN up from their slumber? I can't say for sure. However, superior to the Anti-Semitism or the humanitarianism reason is the age old rationale. The green reason. The US needs the Arab to be content. Bending Israel’s arm in the form of non responses to Arab terror, freeing Arab terrorists, uprooting the shtachim (known as the territories), and creating a country (the 22nd one) must be wonderful for the oil sheiks who are heavily invested in the US stock markets. It not only displays a little Jewish humility it also strokes the Arab ego. Israel would be hard-pressed to cry that the world is anti-Semitic with their dangerous demands if there was a global Auschwitz commemoration.

The only consolation I receive from this charade is acknowledgment. The acknowledgement that the survivors told Hitler that there truly is a superior race. The race that despite their abhorrence whose root is their distinctiveness holds on dearly to their heritage with the inspiration of the survivors. The race that was humiliated 60 years ago while the world at best stood by and at worst volunteered towards the cause – managed to retain its dignity and shout I made it where is Hitler?

Perhaps 60 years went by and the Jew’s memory is starting to fade. Jews can indeed be hurt or even worse. Anti –Semitism exists and continues to fester. Never Again doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t happen again. It means never will a Jew again need to remain silent in his part of the world while another is being maligned. The Jew who feels that we are all part of one great big global community and that humanism will protect him is guilty of a few things. He is guilty of disregarding ever increasing anti - Semitism, forgetting history and is losing touch with his distinctiveness. To sum it up he is ignoring the survivor. As far as the UN goes and the rest of the global family. A part of me laughs at their petty theatrics. A part of me wishes that they all burn in Gehonim. No, that’s too good. How about Auschwitz?